Hey all -- so, it's been a while, but I come bearing great news! By the time you read this -- and after only a few technical hitches -- Kickstarter supporters at $25 & higher will have a link in their inboxes containing the next two games in the Venus Patrol-exclusive series: Adam Saltsman & Robin Arnott's minimalist sci-fi/survival horror CAPSULE, and Vlambeer's awesomely parodic lo-fi first-person-shooter GUN GODZ.

And! Now it can finally be told! Even more exciting: the release of GUN GODZ marks the entry of underground hip-hop legend Doseone into the indie game space. Don't know Dose by name? You might recognize the names of the projects he's been associated with over the past several years: cult hit bands like Themselves, Subtle, cLOUDDEAD (alongside Yoni Wolf of Why? and Odd Nosdam), or 13 & God (a collaboration with The Notwist).

Dose got in touch several months back, having seen the Kickstarter, just to say hello, which kicked some mental-gears in motion, such as: "wouldn't it be rad if a funny indie hip-hop game featured a funny indie hip-hop star?" A few back and forth emails with Dose & Vlambeer later and it actually totally happened: GUN GODZ now features in-game sound-effects, voices and an exclusive title-screen rap by Dose, with beats by GG musician Jukio 'Kozilek' Kallio.

This sort of indie-music/game crossover is exactly what I hope Venus Patrol can both celebrate and help accomplish in the future: tossing a bunch of disparate and otherwise quarantined bits of culture into a pot & stirring until something amazing results -- and helping fans on both sides discover that they're probably fans of the other if they'd only found the exposure.

To that end, here's a bit more of a quick introduction to Dose for the game fans:

A teaser for MARS SAFARI: an upcoming Cartoon Network series by former ADVENTURE TIME artist Ghostshrimp, featuring beats & voices by Dose & Jel, which I kind of couldn't be more excited for.

cLOUDDEAD's "Rifle Eyes" and selections from a live Doseone/Boom Bip live performance for UK legendary Peel Sessions, both of which showcase his signature million-mile-a-minute staccato freestyle.

An XLR8R video feature on Dose & Jel's Freestyle 101 sessions.

And finally (& most novelly) Dose freestyle battling Eminem (!) when they were both just tykes, all the way back at the 1997 Scribble Jam.